Polyphase alternating current system



May 7, 1957 J. A. CHILMAN ETAL POLYPHASE 'ALTERNATING CURRENT SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 10, 1955 i12/wh@ May 7, 1957 J. A. CHILMAN ET AL 2,791,700

POLYPHASE ALTERNATING CURRENT SYSTEM Filed OC. lO, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 7, 1957 J. A. CHILMAN ET Az. 2,791,700 POLYPHASE ALTERNATING CURRENT SYSTEM Filed oct. 1o, 1955 s sheets-sheet s United States Patent O John Alfred Chilrnan,

Cripps, Gloucester, ited, Gloucester,

Alfred George Mapp, and John England, assignors to Rotol Lim- England, a British company Application October 10, 1955, Serial No. 539,581

Claims priority, application Great Britain October 12, 1954 11 Claims. (Cl. 307-57) This invention relates to polyphase alternating current systems comprising a plurality of alternators driven by separate prime mover and arranged for connection in parallel to a common utilisation network, and concerns, more particularly, the means provided in such a system for ensuring that the load is divided in a desired manner between the alternators.

In a system of this kind described in the specification accompanying the co-pending application United States Serial No. 539,584, filed October l0, 1955, the prime mover of each alternator is provided with power-control means and operating means therefor responsive to the ratio of the electrical load on the said alternator to the electrical load on all the alternators, or on all the other alternators.

As the number of alternators in the system is increased such a system involves increasing complication in the provisions necessary for readjusting the system as alternators are paralleled or isolated from the network, and the primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement which does not have this disadvantage.

According to the invention, in a polyphase alternating current system comprising a plurality of alternators driven by separate prime movers and arranged for connection in parallel to a common utilisation network, the prime mover of each alternator is provided with power-control means and operating means therefor responsive to the ratio of the electrical load on the said alternator to the electrical load on another of the alternators, the system being arranged in the manner of a closed chain so that, when all the alternators are connected in parallelto the network, the load on a first alternator is controlled to maintain said load in a desired ratio with the load on a second alternator the load on the second alternator is controlled to maintain said load in a desired ratio with the load on a next alternator, and so on, the load on the last alternator in `the system so controlled being controlled to maintain said load in a desired ratio with the load on the first alternator.

ln a preferred arrangement according to the invention the operating means for each power-control means comprises a two-phase induction motor one phase-winding of which is energised in proportion to the line voltage and the other phase-winding of which is connected across the secondary of a current transformer in one of the phase lines of the output of the associated alternator, and, in opposition to the energisation thereby produced, across the secondary of a current transformer in the corresponding phase line of the output of the next alternator in the chain. Preferably the two current transformer secondaries are in parallel with one another and with the said phase winding to which they are connected.

When one alternator of the system is isolated from the network, the closed chain system becomes an open chain system and the load-sharing process will continue to function in such a condition, but should another alternator be isolated, not being an end alternator of 2,791,700 Patented May 7, 1957 the open chain, the load-sharing process will become incomplete. For this reason, and also because a closed chain will always work more eiciently than an open one, it is preferred to repair the chain whenever an alternator is isolated from the system.

Itis preferred (and in some cases essential) to employ two current transformers in corresponding phase lines of all the alternators, the two secondaries thereof forming respectively part of the load control system of the alternator the phase line of which they are in and part of the load control system of the alternator preceding in the chain the alternator the phase line of which they are 1n.

A preferred arrangement permitting repair as aforesaid consists in the provision of means for connecting said other phase winding of the two-phase induction motor also in parallel with the secondaries of the current transformers forming part of the load control system of the next alternator in the chain when said next alternator is isolated from the network.

If the load circuit of an isolated alternator is to be maintained the two current transformers in a phase line of that alternator have substantially equal transformation ratios and their secondaries are in opposition.

ln another arrangement according to the invention the other phase winding of the two-phase induction motor is connected in series with two resistances across one of which a potential drop is produced in one sense proportional to the current in one of the phase lines of the output of the associated alternator and across the other of which a potential drop is produced in the opposite sense proportional to the current in the corresponding phase line of the output of the next alternator in the chain. Preferably the said potential drops are produced by currents derived through current transformers from the respective phase lines.

In the closed chain system of load-sharing forming the principal subject of the present invention the loadsharing correction is applied to all the alternators of the system so that, even where the power control is effected through variable-datum governors, there is no absolute frequency reference since all the datums are being continuously adjusted.

To overcome this objection there is provided in the system, according to a feature of the invention, a frequency-responsive device and means for controlling thereby the power supplied by at least one of the prime movers to its associated alternator to maintain the frequency within a desired range.

Preferably, according to a further feature of the invention, the frequency-responsive device is operated 'oy power taken from the network and is adapted to produce an error signal when the frequency of the network departs from a desired range, means being provided for adjusting, in accordance with the said signal, the powercontrol means for each prime mover driving an alternator paralleled to the network.

In such a system it is further preferred, according to the invention, to operate power control means for each prime mover in response to load-share correction signals through a variable-datum governor having a drooping load-speed characteristic, and also to operate the same or different power control means for each prime mover by a substantially isochronous frequency governing system. Such an arrangement greatly assists stability in the load-sharing process while permitting the output frequency of the whole system to be maintained within close limits.

Before an alternator can be paralleled to an energised network it is of course necessary to synchronise the frequency of that incoming alternator to that of the network, and for this purpose a dynamo-electric actuator acarreo can be used to adjust the power-control means of the prime mover in response to differences of frequency bctween the alternator and the network. When paralleling has been effected the actuator becomes inoperative and actuation of the power-control means is taken over by the load-sharing system.

According to a feature of the present invention, in such a system wherein there is associated with an alternator, its prime mover and power control means therefor a dynamo-electric actuatorrfor adjusting the power control means in response to diiferencesof frequency between the alternator and the network during speed adjustment of the alternator for paralleling, thereis provided switch means for changing over the actuator when the alternator has been paralleled to operate the power control means in response to change of'fr'equcnc'y of the network relatively to a datum.

ln'an alternativeY Varrangeurentaccording to. another feature of the 'invention there is provided switch means for changing over the dynamoelectric synchronising actu ator, when the associated alternator has been paralleled', to operate the power control means in responso to changes in the ratio of the load on the associated alternator to the load on one or more of the otlier'alternators, e. g. to constitute the aforesaid two-phase motor associated with that alternator.

Embodiments of the invention having these and other features of the invention will now be describedy by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings` In the drawings:

Figure l shows a circuit for carrying out the closed chain system of load sharing.

Figure 2 shows a circuit for switching to repair the chain when an alternator is isolated from the network,

Figure 3 shows :an alternative circuit for carrying out the closed chain system of load` sharing,

Figure 4 shows a circuit for operating a frequency reference dev-ice, and also the use of the synchronising actuator for frequency correction after paralleling,

Figure 5 shows` a circuit using the synchronising actuator for load share control after paralleling.

In the system shown in Figure l four three-phase alternators A1, A2, A3, yand A4, are driven by separate air turbines T1, T z, T3, and T4. All the alternators are connected in parallel by tie bars Ba, Bb, and Bc which connect their output lines La, Lb :and Lc, and one or more loads L areconnected to the tie bars. Each air turbine i is providedwith a power control throttle conected by inkage 11 with a variable datum governor G1, G2, Ga, and Gt respectively, the datiun controls of the governors being connected by further linkage l2 to two-phase loadshare corrector motors M1, M2, Ms, and M4 respectively. One phase-winding 13 of each motor is connected between the output lines La and Lb of its associated alternator so as to be energised in proportion to the supply voltage between these lines, and the other phase winding 14 is connected across the secondary of a current transformer CTal, CTaZ, CTaS, and YC'l`at, respectively, inthe third phase lineLc of its associated alternator. In opposition to the energisation of the windings 14` produced by the above-mentioned current transformers, each winding 14 is also connected across the secondary of a current transformer CTbl, CTIE?, CTI;3 and CTb,l respectively in the phaseV line Lc of the next alternator. Each winding 14 -is thus traversed by a current which is the difference between the currents induced in the secondaries of the cur,- rent transformers connected iny parallel with it, so that by suitable choice of the transformer ratios the current through the winding 14 becomes zero at av desired ratio between the currents in the lines Lc of adjacent alternators. Since the energisation of the motor windings 13 is in quadrature with the line currents it follows that the torque on each motor M is proportional to the amount by which `the ratio o f the actual loads on theV adjacent alternators differs f;orn the pre-arranged ratio, and the torque may be employed to adjust the datum of the associated governor M so that the power of the turbine is adjusted to restore the ratio of the loads to the desired value. It will be seen that the system is symmetrical for all the alternators, however many there may be in the system, and is in the nature of -a closed chain, the load on the first alternator being controlled in a desired ratio with that on the second, and so on, until the load on the last alternator is controlled in a desired ratio with that on the rst.

if in such a system one alternator is isolated from the tie bars the load share corrector motor M of the alternator preceding it in the chain is put out of operation, but the load sharing process will continue to operate, though somewhat less eticiently, the loads on all the other paralleled alternators being adjusted with reference to the uncontrolled `alternator as -a master. The isolating of a further alternator, not being an end alternator of the chain, will however break the chain to form two systems without load share correction between them. lt is preferw-able therefore for both reasons to make provision for automatically closing the chain whenever an alternator is isolated from the tie bars.

In a system in which all the alternators are of equal capacity, so that all the current transformers of the loadshjaring system have the same ratio, such repairing of the chain can be effected very simply by a switching system as shown in Figure 2.

This gure shows only two of the alternators A1 and Az Kand one of the driving turbines T1 lbut it will be understood that it can be extendedV for any number of alternators. In addition to the winding 14 of the motor M1 (for example) being. connected across. the secondaries of the current transformers CTal and CTI:l of the load control system of Iits own alternator it is also connected, by the lIclosing of a switch Sb'g, across the secondaries of the current transformers CTa2 and CTb2 of the load control system of the next alternator A2 when the said alternator A2 is isolated from the network by the opening of aV tiek-breaker switch TBz connecting the output lines L of the alternator Ag to the tie bars B. At the same time a switch Sa.,l disconnects the winding 14 of the motor M2 from the transforcer C'I`a2. If, at any instant, the current flowing in the secondaries of the transformers CTa (sufx l, 2 etc.) is represented by the upwardly directed arrows 15, that owing in the secondaries of the transformers CTb (suffix l, 2 etc.), will be in the opposite direction as` representedby the arrows 16. Thus, although when, tlie-V switch Sb2 is closed the transformers CTa2 and CTbzLare connected in parallel with the winding, 1,4of the motor M1, the currents inducedin them, if the, alternator Az. continues to be run as a separate unit to supply aload L2, are equal and opposite and have no effect upon the` energisation of theV winding 14 of the motor M1, this being dependent only on the difference between the currents induced in the transformers CTal and CTb2 so that the load on the alternator Ar is now controlled in relation to they load on the alternator A3 instead of in, relation to the load on the alternator Az.

Whereas in Figurel the windings 14V of the load share corrector motors M are connected in parallel with the secondariesV of the current transformers of the load control system, this being thepreferred method since the secondaries are thenvirtually short-circuited, which condition is` necessary toV ensurephase agreement and correct transformation ratio between the primary and secondary currents, it is also possible tooperate satisfactorily with an arrangement as shown in Figure 3 in. which the current transformers produce potential drops across resistances Ra (suix l, 2 etc.) andY Rb (sufhx 1, 2 etc.) connected in series with the windingsV 14. In this caseA of course the potentials across the resistancesV Ra have to be in opposition tothe potentials. across the resistances Rb.

p Since ina system such. as that of any of the gures already described, in which the power o f all the prime movers is subject to continual adjustment for load-sharing purposes, there is no fixed speed reference, the frequency of the system is liable to vary between unacceptably wide limits. To correct this tendency at least one of the prime mover-alternator units should be governed with reference to its frequency, but if only one unit is so controlled, difficulties occur if provision must be made for isolating this unit from the network. For this reason it is preferred to provide a frequency reference device operated by power taken from the tie bars of the system and providing an error signal which can be used to control any or all the prime mover-alternator units. Such a system is illustrated in Figure 4, the control system for only one alternator unit A1 being shown completely. The figure also shows how a dynamo-electric machine used for synchronising the alternator with the network before paralleling can be used to effect such frequency correction after paralleling.

In this arrangement the throttle of the turbine T1 of the alternator A1 (taken by way of example) is operated by a governor G1 the datum of which is controlled through a differential device 20 either by a load-share corrector motor M1, arranged in the manner already described in connection with Figure l, or by a synchronising actuator SYN1. The synchronising actuator is a dynamo-electric machine of the kind described in British patent specification No. 516,613, led May 11, 1938, accepted January 5, 1940, and sealed and granted March 28, 1940, and comprises a short-circuited wound rotor and two threephase stator windings. For synchronising purposes one of the stator windings, 21, comprising the phase windings a, b and cis connected through a switch 22 to the tie bars Ba, Bb and Bc, When synchronising has been completed and the tie-breaker switch TBr closed to parallel the alternator A1 the switch 22 is changed over simultaneously to the position shown in the figure to short-circuit the winding 21. The other stator winding 23 is, for synchronising, similarly connected through a switch 24 to the output lines La, Lb and Lc of the alternator A1. The two stator windings are arranged to produce fields rotating in opposite directions and the rotor turns at a speed equal to the difference between the leld speeds, the turning of the rotor being applied through the governor G1 to adjust the power transmitted to the alternator in the sense to eliminate the difference of frequency between the alternator output lines La, Lb and Lc and the tie bars Ba, Bb and Bc. When synchronism has been reached to sufficient accuracy the tie-breaker switch TB1 may be closed at a moment of phase agreement, for example as described in the specification accompanying application United States Serial No. 539,583, filed October 10, 1955, the switch 22 also being changed over to short circuit the winding 21 as already described. Closing of the tie-breaker switch is also arranged to change-over the switch 24 to the position shown in the drawing, which has the effect of separating the phase c of the winding 23 from the phases a and b and connecting it to frequency error signal lines F1 and F2. The actuator SYN 1 is thus converted to a two phase motor, one phase winding of which, comprising the windings 23a and 23b, is connected across the output lines La and Lb of the alternator A1, and the other phase winding of which, comprising the winding 23e, is energized by the frequency error signal. Consequently the power output of the turbine T1 is now controlled by the actuator SYN1 in the sense to reduce the frequency error signal to zero.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 4, the frequency error signal is produced by a centrifugal governor 25 driven by a synchronous motor 26 operated from the tie bars through phase lines 26a, 26b and 26e. The output member 27 of the governor is coupled to the control member 28 of a differential transformed 29 comprising opposed primary windings 30 and 31 energised by the phase voltage between the line 26C and the neutral point 34, the transformer also comprising a secondary winding 33 connected to the frequency error signal lines F1 and F2. In the on frequency condition the control member 28 is symmetrically arranged with respect to the iron circuits through the two primary windings and the secondary winding so that the actuator SYN1 acting as a two-phase motor is not actuated. When a frequency error occurs the magnetic circuits become unbalanced thus causing an error signal to be induced in the secondary winding 33 which is leading or lagging with respect to the energisation of the winding 23ab according to the sense of the error.

Instead of converting the actuator SYN; to a two-phase motor as described it may be retained as a three-phase motor with two stator windings, the winding which is connected to the alternator lines La, Lb and Lc during synchronising being disconnected therefrom on closing of the tie-breaker switch TBr and being connected instead to a source of three phase current at a controlled frequency, for example an alternator driven by a constant speed electric motor as described in the specification accompanying British Patent No. 743,669, filed March 11, 1953, accepted November 1l, 1955, and sealed and granted May 8, 1956.

Figure 5 shows how the synchronizing actuators can be used for load sharing control after their associated alternators have been paralleled. In this case the stator winding 21 is again short circuited as in the arrangement described with reference to Figure 4 and the stator winding 23 is again converted by a switch 40 into the equivalent of a two-phase winding one phase of which, comprising the windings a and b, remains connected across the alternator output lines La and Lb, but the other phase winding c is connected in parallel with the secondaries of the load sharing current transformers CTa and CTb.

We claim:

l. A polyphase alternating current system comprising a plurality of alternators driven by separate prime movers and arranged for connection in parallel to a common utilisation network, in which the prime mover of each alternator is provided with power-control means and operating means therefor responsive to the ratio of the electrical load on the said alternator to the electrical load on another of the alternators, the system being arranged in the manner of a yclosed chain so that, when all the alternators are connected in parallel to the network, the load on a first alternator is controlled to maintain said load in a desired ratio with the load on a second alternator, the load on the second alternator is controlled to maintain said load in a desired ratio with the load on a next alternator, and so on, ythe load on the last alternator in the system so controlled being controlled to maintain said load in a desired ratio with the load on the first alternator.

2. A polyphase alternating current system as claimed in clairn 1, in which the operating means for each powercontrol means comprises a two-phase induction motor one phase winding of which is energized in proportion to `the line voltage and the other phase-winding of which lis connected across the secondary of a current transformer in one of the phase lines of the output of the associated alternator, and, in opposition to the energisation thereby produced, across the secondary of a current transformer in the corresponding phase line of the output of the next alternator in the chain.

3. A polyphase alternating current system as claimed in claim l, in which there are provided two current transformers in corresponding phase lines of all the alternators, the two secondaries thereof forming respectively part of the load control system of the alternator the phase line of which they are in and part of the load control system ofthe alternator preceding, in the chain, the alternator the phase line of which they are in.

4. A polyphase alternating current system as claimed in claim 2, comprising two current transformers in corresponding phase lines of all the alternators, the two secondaries thereof forming respectively part of the load control system of the alternator the phase line of which they areY in and part of the load control system of the alternator preceding, in the chain, the alternator the phase line of which they are in, and means for connectingthe saidV other phase winding of the `two-phase induction motor also in parallel with the secondaries of the current transformers forming part of the load control system of the next alternator in the chain when said next alternator is isolated from the network, whereby the load on the iirst alternator is controlled to maintain said load in a desired ratio with the next uri-isolated alternator instead of wit-h the said isolated ner. alternator.

5. A polyphase alternating current system as claimed in claim 4, in whichl the two current transformers in the phase line of each one alternator have substantially equal transformation ratios so that when they are brought into opposition with one another hy the isolation of tne associated alternator, their effect in the load control system linking the preceding and follorving alternators is nil.

6. A polyphasc alternating current system as claimed in claim 1, in which't-he operating means for each powercontrol means comprises a two-phase induction motor one Y phasewinding of which is energized in proportion to the line voltage and the other phase-winding of which is connected in series with two resistances across one of which a potential drop is produced in one sense proportional to the current in one of the phase lines of the output of the associated alternator and across the other of which-a poten tial drop is produced in the opposite sense proportional tothe current in the corresponding phase line of the output of the next alternator in the chain.

7. A polyphase alternating current system as claimed in claim. l,v in which the power controll means for each prime mover is opera-ted in response to load-sharing correction signals through a variable-datum governor having a drooping load-speed characteristic.

8. A.. polyphase alternating current system as claimed in claim l in which the same or different power control leans for each prime mover are operated by a substantially isochronous frequency governing system.

9. A polyphase alternating current system asV claimed in claim l, wherein there is associated with an alternator, its prime mover and power control means therefor, a dynamo-electric actuator for adjusting the power control means in response to dierences of frequency between the alternator and the network during speedy adjustment of the alternator for paralleling, and wherein there is providedswitch means for changing over 'the actuator, when the alternator has been paralleled to operate the power control means in response to change of frequency of the network relatively to a datum.

l0. A polyphase alternating current system yas claimed in claim l wherein there is associated with an alternator, its prime mover and power control means therefor, a dynamoelectric actuator for adjusting lthe power control means in response to differences of frequency between the alternator `and the network during speed adjustment of `the alternator for paralleling, and wherein there is provided switch means for changing over the actuator, when the alternator has been paral eled, to operate the power control means in response to changes in the ratio of the load on the associated alternator to the load on one or more ofthe other alternators.

ll. A polyphase alternating current system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two-phase motor associated with one at least of the alternators also constitutes a dynamoelectric actuator for adjusting the power control means of the atlernator in resonse to dilerences of frequency between the alternator `and the network during speed adjustrnent of the alternator for paralleling, switch means being provided for changing over the two-phase motor from frequency control of the alternator to load control of the alternator and vice versa.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,548. Doyle' Nov. 9, 1937 2,501,340 Kresser Mar. 2l, 1950 2,504,768 Watson etal Apr. 18, 1950 2,710,355 Chilman et al June 7, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 516,613 Great Britain Jan. 5, 1940 653,994 Great Britain May 30, 1951 732,052 Great Britain June l5, 11955 743,669 Great Britain Nov. ll, 1955 

